This year, 2023, the Franciscan Family will commemorate the 800th anniversary of the confirmation of the Later Rule. Also known as the Approved Rule, or the Rule of 1223, the papal approval of the Rule marks the culmination of a long and difficult journey for St. Francis. His journey can be an example to those of us who have professed a different rule, the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order. ...
A centenary is a 100-year commemoration of a significant event. In the same way we celebrate birthdays or wedding or profession anniversaries, our order commemorates significant events in the life of Francis. These are moments to reflect. We take time to consider what these events mean to us, how they shaped or formed us, and how they affect our identity. We look back at what happened in time in order to consider where we are now, and where we wish to go from here. ...
When Thomas of Celano presents the story of the celebration of Christmas at Greccio, he talks about the reasons Francis of Assisi had for to setting up the manger and celebrating the Mass in a cave. ... As the Franciscan Family celebrating the centenary of the Christmas at Greccio, we are invited to pause before the mystery of the Incarnation in order to contemplate the depth of God’s love for humanity. The Son of God becomes the Son of man; he becomes one of us, our brother (cf. Second Version of the Letter to the Faithful 56, FF 201). Our faith in the Incarnation prompts us to discover the seeds of the Word present in all cultures and in contemporary society, so that we might bring to bloom the seeds of humanity we find there.
All members of the Franciscan Family profess a Rule that becomes a pattern of life and consists in observing the Gospel.... No member of the Franciscan Family professes his own Rule privately, because he is called to live the Gospel in fraternity. It is important to remember that Francis composed the Later Rule at a time in his life when he was dealing with a lot of tension and crises at the fraternal level, but he never renounced the prophetic vision of living as a brother to all and he invites us to do the same. ...
The five centenaries are part of a single thematic Centenary, which will develop gradually and harmoniously according to the chronology of the events celebrated. The key themes proposed for the celebration of the centenaries are considered from multiple perspectives, present in each celebration. These will specifically refer to the theological dimension (our being in Christ); the anthropological dimension (our being brothers and sisters); the ecclesiological dimension (our being in communion); and the sociological dimension (our being in the world). ...